STUTTGART, Germany – While this December Smart is running a big advertising campaign in several German newspapers for its e-bikes, it is only part of the company’s start in e-mobility. The minicar subsidiary of Mercedes recently revealed an urban e-mini concept car which is part of the ‘ForTwo’ car generation. Remarkable about the e-mini concept car is that it integrates e-bikes.
Smart calls its e-mini concept car ‘ForUs’ as it is targeted to “Two people for whom the car can carry two Smart e-bikes.” For the two electric bicycles the ForUs comes with special docking stations that charge the e-bike batteries. With the integrated e-bikes the Smart car allows for ‘Park & Ride’. This means that ForUs drivers can park the car and take the e-bike to reach the, for cars closed, city centers.
Smart’s urban e-mini concept car will celebrate its world-debut at the North American International Motor Show in Detroit in January (14. - 22.1.). With an length of 3,55 meter its the smallest pick-up car ever. It comes with a 55 KW/75 PS electric motor with which, “the zero-emission Smart ‘For-Us’ is agile and lively to drive”. The used lithium-ion battery pack has a 17.6 kWh capacity. It will last for about 150 kilometer. Production of Smart’s “Fortwo electric drive” is forecasted for spring 2012.
Further more: www.emercedesbenz.com/autos/smart/special-models/smart-for-us-urban-pickup-will-premiere-in-detroit/
Picture: Mercedes-Benz
by
Jo Beckendorff
13 Dec 2011
last update:11 Jul 2012